Glen Johnson has claimed that Enzo Maresca lost his job at Chelsea due to a lack of consistency in performance.
Maresca, 45, was relieved of his duties as men’s first team coach on New Year’s Day after 18 months in charge at Stamford Bridge. Prior to the Italian’s departure, the Blues had won just one of their last seven top-flight games and sat fifth in the Premier League table.
Speaking to Tribal Football, Johnson expressed sympathy for Maresca before stating that the manager's inability to get results against weaker teams cost him his job at the club.
“I definitely have sympathy for Maresca,” the former Blues defender said. “I always feel for managers who lose their jobs, especially Maresca, who at times had Chelsea playing the best football they have played in three or four years.
“I think what lost him his job was the lack of consistency in Chelsea’s performances. They want to win titles, and you can’t afford to drop points at home to the weaker teams in the league if you want to challenge Arsenal and Man City.”
“He looks like he’s settling in” – Glen Johnson upbeat about new Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior
Five days after Maresca was shown the door, Chelsea appointed Liam Rosenior as the new head coach. Rosenior’s appointment was met with widespread disapproval, with many questioning his managerial ability. Before taking up the position, the English manager only had managerial experience at Derby County, Hull City, and Strasbourg.
However, his tenure at the West London club has taken a quite positive start, having won two of his first three games. He kicked off with a commanding 5-1 win over Charlton Athletic in the FA Cup but fell to a 3-2 defeat to Arsenal in the Carabao Cup. His most recent game was a 2-0 league win over Brentford.
Johnson is one of the few who has been impressed with Rosenior’s work so far, stating that he looks ready for the task at the club. He continued:
“Liam Rosenior’s first game in charge (FA Cup win at Charlton) of Chelsea went about as well as it could have. He got a great result, and Chelsea put in a good team performance. I have seen clips of him, and he looks like he’s settling in. Most importantly, he looks like he’s up for the fight, which you have to be as Chelsea manager. Time will tell how the team performs, but I’m optimistic about Rosenior.”
The victory over Charlton made Rosenior the first Blues manager to win their opening match in charge since Antonio Conte in 2016.